Press Release

A. O. Smith Vertex™ Featured on Living With Ed

Ashland City, TN (Tuesday, 04 September 2007)

Fans of HGTV’s hit series Living With Ed watched this week as Ed’s green pal Jay Leno installed the A. O. Smith Vertex gas water heater in his garage. Leno has vowed to turn his 20,000-square-foot Burbank auto garage into a “Green Garage” by installing several environmentally friendly products. In fact, Leno is now claiming to be “the new Ed Begley” because of his latest green efforts including the installation of the Vertex water heater.

“We are honored that Mr. Leno chose to install the A. O. Smith Vertex in his famous garage,” said Ajita Rajendra, president, A. O. Smith Water Products Company. “Vertex is one of the most efficient water heaters available for applications like this, and those leading the green charge recognize this and are installing our product.”

The Vertex will supply hot water to the bathrooms, which house a shower and a clothes washer, along with all hot water utilizing appliances in Leno’s complete GE kitchen.

“In our second season of Living With Ed, we are really focusing on helping consumers install green products in their living and work spaces,” said Begley. “Some of these consumers happen to be celebrities who are in the public eye, and we feel that is an outstanding way to tell the viewing public how they can help the environment. Jay Leno has been a great champion for this cause.”

A. O. Smith Water Products Company signed a long-term exclusive brand license/endorsement agreement with the producers of the hit TV series Living With Ed and its co-star Ed Begley Jr.

Under terms of the agreement, A. O. Smith will use the trademark of the show and the endorsement of Begley to market its Vertex™ line of residential gas water heaters throughout the United States. Living With Ed can be seen on HGTV on Mondays at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT, 9:30 p.m. CST. Log on to www.hotwater.com/green for more information.

Vertex is a 76,000 BTU power-vent residential gas water heater that delivers 90 percent thermal efficiency. It combines higher input with more efficient combustion to produce much more hot water with lower operating costs.

Vertex was developed by A. O. Smith in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Energy. The 90 percent efficient Vertex is the higher efficient option as it delivers significant savings on operating costs compared to conventional units which operate at 78 percent thermal efficiency and ”tankless” units which operate at 80 percent thermal efficiency.

In a recent study by the Gas Technology Institute (GTI), tests were conducted at three levels of daily hot water usage, comparing the Vertex and a tankless unit to determine which had the highest efficiencies at differing usage levels. In low water usage applications requiring 30 gallons of hot water per day or less, the tankless unit had the higher delivered efficiency. However, providing the best overall performance was the Vertex, with the highest delivered efficiency in medium (64 gallons per day) and high (100 gallons per day) hot water use profiles. As a result, the Vertex is the ideal high efficiency model for average and high-volume applications such as homes with large families, whirlpool tubs, multiple showers and other hot water appliances.

About A. O. Smith:

Headquartered in Ashland City, Tenn., A. O. Smith Water Products Company is a leading manufacturer and marketer of residential and commercial water heaters and hydronic boilers. A. O. Smith offers contractors an additional competitive advantage in that the company designs, builds, distributes and field supports the world’s broadest and deepest line of residential and commercial water heaters, as well as commercial boilers. This single-source concept simplifies ordering, installation and service and is backed by more than 70 years of research and innovation. For more information, visit www.hotwater.com.